When I first started this challenge, I admit that I didn’t think doing at least 30 minutes of exercise each day for five out of seven days a week would be that big a deal. Sure, it was more activity than I was used to, but this isn’t exactly Comeback 2.0 territory here.
To say I [...]

Budgets aren’t the only scary aspect of organizing your finances. A big area of self imposed mystery are credit cards. Do you know, for example, exactly how much you owe on your cards? Do you know how many cards you have? What about the interest rates you pay? Are you aware [...]

This weekend, after bundling up the entire family to head outside and finish clearing the snow off driveway and sidewalks, we returned into the house where my husband mixed up a batch of homemade hot cocoa.
As my girls helped him measure and stir in sugar, cocoa, a dash of hot pepper, a cinnamon stick, and [...]

We heard some very good responses to last week’s “Coupon Mom” post. She does answer many of our questions regarding buying staple items such as bread, meat, and eggs in her book. She suggests, for example, buying meat in bulk and freezing. Another tactic is saving a little by not buying the [...]

Just when you thought it was safe to keep taking a lighthearted attitude toward your pitiful result in the V-sit reach exercise, along comes this gem from the New York Times.
In a post on their Well blog under the headline, “Phys Ed: Can Touching Your Toes Test Your Arteries?” writer Gretchen Reynolds answers thusly: pretty [...]

Last post I mentioned the advice of packing a lunch in order to save money. Well before you can pack a lunch, you still have to buy the materials. Here is a video from “The Coupon Mom” Stephanie Nelson giving us advice on how to reduce our grocery bill by utilizing coupons. (Love [...]

just a quick update on my giving over the last couple of days. 
How is everyone doing?  Are you finding joy in giving? 
Day 4 for me was fun.  For Christmas I received one of those “all in one office” machines (copier/scanner/fax, photos, etc.).  Well already owning a printer and scanner, I thought first of E-bay (lol)  [...]

I’m satisfied with my progress, and I expect that I won’t have this keeping-it-real thing figured out entirely during this month-long exercise, but I’m on my way.
Lots of folks around the office keep asking me how it’s going. It’s funny to have my eating habits be so public and the subject of impromptu hallway conversations. [...]

In the context of my challenge, the good thing about taking a fitness test designed for people roughly half my age was that it satisfied the half hour of daily activity I need to keep progressing toward that Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.
Nice.
The bad thing about taking a fitness test designed for people roughly half my [...]

Many of you have mentioned Michael Pollan’s influence on your real-food pursuits, as well as Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I’ve read bits of Pollan’s books, so I have an idea of what he’s about, but all your other suggestions have really started me thinking.
So I figured: If the recommendations are this helpful to me, [...]